THE WHITE BOULEVARDIER

So I may be a bit late to the whole White Negroni train but I absolutely adore them at the moment. And while Negronis and Boulevardiers share similar ingredients, I haven’t seen the White Boulevardier catch on. Which is perfect for me to present it to you today!

Upon my research I’ve found that many White Boulevardiers (see the recipe for a regular Boulevardier here) are made with Moonshine/White Dog Whiskey as it is fresh off the still and as we know, whisk(e)y gets its colour from the barrel aging process. Which is fine – except whiskey fresh off the still can be a bit harsh at times. And in Canada, correct me if I’m wrong but I have yet to see a true White Boulevardier. Why is that you ask? Well essentially in the USA, there are no actual aging requirements stipulated for whiskey whereas in Canada, whisky must be aged no less than three years.

And therein lies the problem. For whisky to be considered whisky in Canada it must be aged. And during the aging, the colour is developed. And therefore, the White Boulevardier can’t be white (or clear) so to speak. The second issue? Well, while in a typical White Negroni, Suze is often used as the Campari substitute, it’s hard to come by in Canada (or at least in BC).

So to recap – to make a White Boulevardier there are two problems. One, whisky has to be aged which imparts colour and two, the typical ingredients aren’t widely available.

White Owl Whisky, created by Highwood Distillers this whisky is aged up to ten years in charred oak barrels and then filtered to strip the whisky of its colour. While many Canadian whiskies are made from a corn base, the Master Distiller couldn’t maintain the flavour profile they wanted and thus, the whisky in this case is made from rye and wheat. An interesting one, certainly to rival both white dog whiskies and vodkas alike, White Owl Whisky possesses notes of citrus, anise, butterscotch, caramel and spices.

Now, Luxardo Bitter Bianco is a newer liqueur which was released in Canada in Q4 of 2016. As a great substitute for Campari (but less bitter), this acts as a great ingredient in this cocktail. Some of the botanicals used in this liqueur are rhubarb, thyme, bitter orange, gentian and wormwood which lend lovely flavours to this drink.

So let me know what you think about it below! Easy to make, even easier to drink.